Machine for shaping and trimming pieces of fabrics.



PATENTBD DEC. 29, 1903.

H. BRYGE. MACHINE FOR SHAPING AND TRIMMING PIEUES 0F FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 19, 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. H. BRYCE. MACHINE FOR SHAPING AN D TRIMMINGPIECES OF FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED OOTIIQ, 1901.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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No. 748,476. PATENTED DEC. 29, 1903. H. BRYCE.

MACHINE FOR SHAPING AND TRIMMING PIECES OF FABRICS.

APPLIATION FILED OCT. 19,1901. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

ili'uesses, Henry 1371966,

MW 911% I-nven-tozj,

- attorney,

THE New vzrzas co, vaoraumon wmnmmoa. 0.1:.

UNiTnD STATES Fatntd .liecember 29, 1903:

PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BRYCE, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,476, dated December29, 1903.

Application filed October 19, 1901. Serial No. 79,254. No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY BRYCE, a citi zen of the United States,residing at Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Shaping andTrimming Pieces of Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanisms for shaping and for trimming piecesof fabrics either preparatory to being stitched or joined to otherpieces or after they have been in part shaped and stitched; and itconsists of certain novel features of construction and combinations andarrangements of parts and devices herein shown and described, and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

The objects and advantages of the invention will be fully understoodfrom the following description and claims when taken in connection withannexed drawings, in three sheets, in which Figure l is a frontelevation of a fabric shaping and trimming machine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a section taken at line 1 in Fig. i. Fig. 3 is aplan of the same. Fig. 4 is a plan of a machine embodying the inventionand showing modifications of parts thereof. Fig. 5 is a section taken atline 2 in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan of a machine embodying the inventionand having modified parts. Fig. 7 is a transverse section with upperhalf portion indicated by dotted lines and thrown up. Fig. 8 is a frontview with upper part turned back, and Fig. 9 is a front view showing themachine clamping the fabric and illustrating the operation of thehandknife employed with this machine for efiecting a cutting of thefabric.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The drawingsillustrate machines which are in their essential parts ofsimilar construction for operation with fabrics and pieces to be shapedor trimmed and also illustrates modifications of some of the parts whichmay be employed with the same advantageous results as parts of difierentconstruction also shown. a

This machine comprises two parts-one, the lower part, consisting of asuitable stationary fabric-clamping part A, provided with suitable gagesand a shaping-blade, and the other movable fabric-clamping part Bwhichtwo parts are suitably joined to adapt the latter to be readily operatedat pleasure to effect a clamping of the fabric while being operated withby a knife operated by the operator and for release of the fabric forits removal and replacement. The stationary fabric-clamping part Aconsists of the bedplate A, made of suitable material and with form andproportions adaptingit for use with the fabric or pieces to be shaped ortrimmed and for adapting it to receive necessary gages, shaping-blade,and other adjuncts which may be advantageously employed.

0 is the fabric-shaping blade, which is suitably secured to the upperside of the front edge margin 0. of the bed-plate A. Although thisshaping-blade C may be socured to said front edge margin a with its bodyflat on the upper side of the same, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, yetpreference is bad for use of an adjustable strip-form blade-retainer D,Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to which said shaping-blade is shown to be placed andsecured. This blade-retainer is provided with suitable oblongperforations d d and is secured to edge margin a of the bed-platebysuitable clamping-screws a, passing through said perforations andscrewing in screw-threaded perforations provided in said edge margins a,as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In Fig. 5 the shaping-blade isshown to be placed directly on the upper side of the edge margin on ofthe said'bed-plate, and in Fig. tithis blade (shown in Fig. 5) is shownto be provided with oblong perforations d and held in place by clampingscrews or bolts 0 so that said blade may be adjusted at pleasure indirection of its Width as may be required from time to time as the wearof the fabric-shaping edge 0 becomes worn and the same as said edge 0may be when the blade is secured to the blade-retainer D. Suitablegaging devices E are employed in connection with said shaping edge e ofthe blade 0 for gaging the distance or points from said shaping edge 0.The rear edge f of fabric or piece F is to be extended rearward forgiving the body of piece F its required width when shaped or trimmed. InFigs. 6, 7, and 8 but one continuous gaging device is shown to beemployed, as it may be when the said shapingblade 0 is provided with astraight line of shaping edge 0; but when the shaping edge 0 is madewith curved line, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I prefer to employ threeadjustable gaging devices Eone for gaging the point at which an end ofthe piece F is to be set and the others for gaging the points which saidpiece F is to have its rear side edgefextended from the shaping edge eof the blade 0. These gaging devices are preferably made to beadjustable, and for that purpose they are provided each with an oblongslot e and are held in place and position adjusted to by suitableclamping belt or screw 6. Elastic retainers G (one or more) are providedwith this bedplate A for preventingthe pieceF to be shaped from shiftingin direction from the gage or gages E after being placed thereto andbefore the movable clamping part B is made to coact with the stationarypart A. These elastic retainers are made of thin elastic pieces of metalwith a convex form of body and of suitable length and width and securedby their rear ends g to the bed-plate A, while their forward endportions 9 are extended forward toward the shaping edge 0 of blade 0 toa pointwhich adapts said end portion g to have bearing on the body ofthe fabric or piece F at a suitable distance rearward of said shapingedge of said blade. In some cases, as in machines for use for operatingwith fabrics or pieces of long and short lengths, the said elasticretainers are preferably made to be adjustable by having their rear endportions pivoted on suitable pivot-blocks G, Figs. 2 and 3, secured tobed-plate A, so as to adapt said retainers to be turned to the right orleft to any preferred distance as may be required for having bearing onthe fabric or piece F. In cases where the machine is designed to beemployed for clamping and shaping or trimming pieces comprising severalplys of fabric I prefer to throw the retainers G into action for holdingthe bodies of said pieces from shifting by pressure exerted downward onthe said retainers by force applied by the operator at pleasure througha suitable drawrod adapted to be operated by foot, as illustrated inFig. 2, when such retainer may be readily moved from a raised position(shown by full lines in Fig. 2) to that of dotted lines to have bearingby its forward end portion g on the piece to be trimmed or shaped. InFig. 5 the retainer is shown to be adapted to have bearing on the fabricsolely from the elasticity of the material of the body of the retainer,and the fabric is introduced to beneath its forward end portion 9 bybeing slid on the shaping-blade back to beneath the said end portion.

The movable clamping part B of this machine consists of the top plate Band the flexible clamping-piece B suitably connected with the forwardedge margin of said top plate from its lower side by being secureddirectly thereto, (not shown,) yet I-prefer to secure this flexibleclamping-piece to said plate by means of a suitable strip-form piece H,of wood or soft metal or alloy, as copper or soft brass, and preferablyby cementing the flexible piece B to said piece H by any suitable cementadapted to hold the substance of said clamping-piece to the material ofpiece H, while the piece H itself may be secured to the front marginportion of top plate 13 by suitable screws. The substance of thisflexible clamping-piece B may be cloth, felt, cork, or other materialadapted to yield under pressure and have bearing on the fabric withoutliability of injuring the same, yet I prefer to make said piece ofrubber. This movable clamping part B of the machine is suitablyconnected to the stationary part A so as to adapt the former to bereadily raised and be moved up or back from the latter and be so helduntil it is closed down on part A by the operator. I prefer to convertpart B to part A by means of suitable hingeknuckles I I, connected withthe stationary part A, and knuckles I I, connected with the movable partB at the rear side of the machine, and pivot said knuckles I I on shaftJ, passing through both pairs ofsaid knuckles,as shown. This movablepartB may be elevated and raised up from out a clamping position withthe stationary part A by any suitable means, yet I at present prefer toemploy with said two parts A and B and with shaft J, holding, as apivot, the rear portions of said two parts hinged together, spiraltension-springs K, (one or more,) mounted on said shaft and. having eachan arm is integral with one end of the spring and bearing on the upperside of the bed-plate A and also having arm integral with the oppositeend of the same and bearing against the under side of the top plate B,as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 7. In machines designed for shaping andtrimming fabrics and pieces of single ply and light and thin, as lace,chiifon, lawn, mousseline de soie, and light silk, &c., which are apt tobe readily drawn out of shape when unevenly pulled on, I provide at neara single continuous gage, as gaging device E in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, a rowof upwardly-projected needle-points Z Z,adapted to readily pierce thefabrics of class above named and hold with the same without liability ofbeing drawn out of shape and in the least from against the said gagingdevice E, at which the rear edge of such light pieces may be set tobefore being clamped between the flexible clamping-piece B and theshapingblade 0. These needle-points operating as fabric-retainers, as dothe elastic fabric-retainers G, I prefer to set in a suitable piece L,of wood, which seats into a suitable longitudinal recess or groove L,made in the upper side of the bed-plate A, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7,which piece L may be retained in place by the dovetail form of side edgewalls of the wood piece holding with the dovetail side edge walls ofsaid recess or groove L, as shown in Fig. 7. This movable clamping partB of the machinemay be moved down to clamp on the fabric or piece Fwhile in place on the bedplate B and the shaping-blade C, as shown inFigs. 5, 7, and 9 and as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, by anysuitable mechanism, yet in large machines designed for shaping andtrimming pieces composed of several plys of fabric I prefer to employ asuitable draw-rod M, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which is connected by its lowerend to a suitable treadle M and may be directlyconnected by its upperend to the top plate B of the movable clamping part B or to a yoke-pieceM at its middle of length and through said yoke-piece to said top plateB by two draw-rods M M Fig. 1. 1

In some cases, as inmachlnes adapted to shape and trim light fabrics orpieces of short lengths, there may be employed for closing down part B alever-form pressing-bar N,

having one end, as n, Figs. 6, 7, and 8, jointed on a suitable standardN, suitably connected to the bed-plate A, and working in perforation it,provided in stud N projected from the upper side of the top plate B ofthe movable part B. By this lever-form mechanism an operator may rapidlyoperate the movable top plate for carrying it from open position(indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7) to a closeddown andfabric-clamping position. (Shown in the same figure.)

In some cases it may be preferred to trim or shape pieces ofconsiderable length with a line of trim on compound curved lines of edgewhere each half of the whole line of trim are to be the same as that ofthe other half. In such a case I employ a shaping-blade O of length alittle greater than one-half of the whole length of the piece to betrimmed or shaped, as shown in Fig. 4:. With the use of thismodification it is to be understood that the piece F to be trimmed willbe laid so that a half portion of the length thereof may be set up tothe gaging devices E and be clamped between parts A and B and betrimmed. Then the piece F will be turned end for end and the untrimmedhalf portion will be set up to same gaging devices Eand be clamped, as

before, between parts A and B and be.

trimmed, as the first half.

It is to be understood that the line of outer edge I) of the flexibleclamping-piece B of the movable clamping part B of the machine is to bemade to be of same shape line of the shaping edge a of the shaping-bladeO of the stationary clamping part A of the machine.

P isa long cutting-blade provided with handle P and adapted to beoperated by hand of an operator when grasping said handle, with thecutting-blade pointing upward, as shown in Fig. 9 and indicated bydotted lines in Figs. 5 and 7. This blade is operated by a suddenforward movement of the same in direction of arrow 1, Fig. 9, and with adown-curving movement, as indicated by arrow 2 in the same figure, so asto produce a form of draw-cut beginningat near the lower or handle endof the blade, as at about at pointp on the blade when first beginning tocut the fabric or piece F at point P of the starting end of the out ofthe same and carrying the upper portion of the blade rapidly forward anddown until nearly the whole length of the blade has been carried with adraw form from a point little below the heel p of the blade up to nearthe point thereof, with its cutting edge P moving in contact with thefront shaping edge 0 of the shaping blade 0, so that the said edge mayoperate as an edge of a shear. At the time the flexible clamping-pieceis holding the fabric of the piece F tight and hard down on the uppersurface of said shaping-blade a single forward and downward movement ofsaid cutting-blade P will suffice for trimming articles of, say, twelveinches of length, while longer articles may be trimmed by two or morestrokes of the said knife.

The trimming or cutting of the fabric effected by this invention will befound to be clean and complete and without being in the least ragged inappearance or drawn or uneven.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, a suitable bed-plate, ashaping-blade thereon, means to gage the position of the fabric to betrimmed, and a clamping member having an edge to correspond with theedge of the shaping-blade and adapted to clamp the fabric on saidshaping-blade.

2. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, a bed-plate, ashaping-blade on the marginal edge thereof and having its line ofshaping edge in correspondence with that to be given to the piece offabric to be trimmed, a gaging device adapted to adjustably gage thewidth of the piece of fabric to be shaped, and a fabric-clamping piecehaving its outer edgein correspondence with the shaping edge of saidshaping-blade and adapted to hold the fabric down onto saidshaping-blade.

3. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, a bed-plate, ashaping-blade on the marginal edge thereof and having a shaping edgecorresponding with that to be given to the fabric, a gaging device, afabric-retaining device to maintain the fabric on the shaping-blade whenproperly positioned thereon, and a fabric-clam ping member adapted tohold the fabric on said shaping-blade, said clamping member having anedge in correspondence with the edge of said shapingblade.

4. In a machine for shaping and trimming IIO fabric,a stationarybedplate, a shaping-blade moved to and from said bed-plate, and aclamping-piece secured to said movable memher, and having an edgecorresponding with the shaping edge of the shaping-blade and adapted toregister therewith when the movable member is moved downward to clampthe fabric between the shaping-blades and said clamping-piece.

5. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, astationary bed-plate,a shaping-blade secured thereto, a fabric retaining device supportedfrom said bed-plate and adapted to normally hold the fabric on theshapingblade, a movable member pivotally connected with the bed-plateand normally maintained in elevated position, aclamping-piece secured tosaid movable member and adapted to 00- act with the shaping-blade toclamp the fabric, and means to move said movable memberinto clampingposition with relation to the bed-plate.

6. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, astationary bed-plate,ashaping-blade secured thereto and having an edge in correspondence withthat to be given the fabric, gaging devices adapted to determine theproper position of the fabric, a fabric-retaining device adapted tonormally hold the fabric on the shaping-blade, a top plate pivotallyconnected at its rear edge with the bed-plate and normally held inelevated position, a clamping-piece carried by the top plate and havingan edge corresponding to the operative edge of the shaping-blade, andmeans to move said top plate into clamping relation with the bed-plate.

7. In a machine for shaping and trimming fabric, a stationary bed-plate,a movable top plate pivotally connected with the bed-plate and normallymaintained in elevated position,a shaping-blade secured on thebed-plate, a clamping-piece secured on the movable plate, means to movethe top plate toward the bed to bring into clampingposition theshaping-blade and clamping-piece, the registering edges of whichshaping-blade and clampingpiece are shaped to correspond with that to begiven the fabric, adjustable gages for properly positioning the fabricin the machine, and fabric-retaining devices for normally holding thefabric on the shapingblade prior to the cooperative conjunction of theclamping-piece.

HENRY BRYCE.

Witnesses:

ALEX. SELKIRK, A. SELKIRK, Jr.

